The Panjshir Valley 1980–86

The Panjshir Valley 1980–86 PDF Author: Mark Galeotti
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472844726
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
An in-depth look at the struggle between the charismatic rebel commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, 'The Lion of Panjshir', and the Soviet forces who fought to control the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan. When the Soviets rolled into Afghanistan in 1979, they believed if they took the cities, the country would follow. They were wrong. The Red Army found itself in a bloody stalemate in the Afghan mountains, in the strategically vital Panjshir Valley, where they faced the most able and charismatic of the rebel commanders: Ahmad Shah Massoud, the 'Lion of Panjshir'. Time and again the Soviets and their Afghan counterparts sought to take control of the Panjshir, and time and again the rebels either rebuffed their clumsy attempts or ambushed and evaded them, only to retake the valley as soon as Moscow's attention was elsewhere. Over time, the rebels acquired new weapons and developed their own tactics – as did the Soviets. The Panjshir was not just a pivotal battlefield, it also shaped the subsequent Afghan civil wars that followed Soviet withdrawal, and the military thinking that is still informing the new Russian military. Featuring striking colour artwork battlescenes and detailed maps of the fighting, this is a compelling study of one of the hardest fought struggles of the Soviet War in Afghanistan.

The Panjshir Valley 1980–86

The Panjshir Valley 1980–86 PDF Author: Mark Galeotti
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472844726
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Get Book Here

Book Description
An in-depth look at the struggle between the charismatic rebel commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, 'The Lion of Panjshir', and the Soviet forces who fought to control the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan. When the Soviets rolled into Afghanistan in 1979, they believed if they took the cities, the country would follow. They were wrong. The Red Army found itself in a bloody stalemate in the Afghan mountains, in the strategically vital Panjshir Valley, where they faced the most able and charismatic of the rebel commanders: Ahmad Shah Massoud, the 'Lion of Panjshir'. Time and again the Soviets and their Afghan counterparts sought to take control of the Panjshir, and time and again the rebels either rebuffed their clumsy attempts or ambushed and evaded them, only to retake the valley as soon as Moscow's attention was elsewhere. Over time, the rebels acquired new weapons and developed their own tactics – as did the Soviets. The Panjshir was not just a pivotal battlefield, it also shaped the subsequent Afghan civil wars that followed Soviet withdrawal, and the military thinking that is still informing the new Russian military. Featuring striking colour artwork battlescenes and detailed maps of the fighting, this is a compelling study of one of the hardest fought struggles of the Soviet War in Afghanistan.

Russia’s War in Afghanistan

Russia’s War in Afghanistan PDF Author: David Isby
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472801792
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Text by David Isby. Colour plates by Ron Volstad. This book examines Soviet forces in Afghanistan. The origins and conduct of the war and the operational organisation of Soviet forces are discussed. Afghan resistance and weaponry is also examined. A comprehensive study of both sides in the Afghan war. Due to popular demand, strictly limited quantities of Osprey's most wanted out of print Men-at-Arms, Vanguard and Elite titles are back in stock. Many of these books have been out of print for 5 years or more, so don't miss this one-off opportunity to buy them hot-off-the-press at regular series prices while stocks last. Orders will be processed on a strictly first come, first served basis so hurry! Order your books today.

Storm-333

Storm-333 PDF Author: Mark Galeotti
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472841859
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Storm-333, the operation to seize Kabul and assassinate Afghan leader Hafizullah Amin, was at once a textbook success and the start of a terrible blunder. It heralded the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an operation intended to be a short, largely symbolic show of force, yet which quickly devolved into a gritty ten-year counter-insurgency that Moscow was never able to win. Nonetheless, Storm-333 was a striking success, and despite initial concerns that it would be an impossible achievement, it saw a relative handful of Soviet special forces drawn from the KGB and the military seize the heavily defended presidential palace, neutralise the city's communications and defences, and open Kabul to occupation. The lessons learned then are still valid today, and have been incorporated into modern Russian military practice, visible most recently in the seizure of Crimea in 2014. Written by a recognised expert on the Soviet security forces, drawing extensively on Russian sources, and fully illustrated with commissioned artwork, this is the most detailed and compelling study of this fascinating operation available in English.

Afghanistan 1979–88

Afghanistan 1979–88 PDF Author: Mark Galeotti
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472850734
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
The first English-language book to examine the crucial part air power played in the Soviet-Afghan War. The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan was fought as much in the air as on the ground. From the high-level bombing raids that blasted rebel-held mountain valleys, to the Mi-24 helicopter gunships and Su-25 jets that accompanied every substantial army operation, Soviet control of the air was a crucial battlefield asset. Vital to every aspect of its operations, Mi-8 helicopters ferried supplies to remote mountain-top observation points and took the bodies of fallen soldiers on their last journey home in An12 'Black Tulips'. But this was not a wholly one-sided conflict. Even before the Afghan rebels began to acquire man-portable surface-to-air missiles such as the controversial US 'Stinger,' they aggressively and imaginatively adapted. They learnt new techniques of camouflage and deception, set up ambushes against low-level attacks, and even launched daring raids on airbases to destroy aircraft on the ground. Featuring information previously unknown in the West, such as the Soviets' combat-testing of Yak-38 'Forger' naval jump jets, Soviet-expert Mark Galeotti examines the rebel, Kabul government and the Soviet operation in Afghanistan, drawing deeply on Western and Russian sources, and including after-action analyses from the Soviet military. Using maps, battlescenes and detailed 'Bird's Eye Views', he paints a comprehensive picture of the air war and describes how, arguably, it was Soviet air power that made the difference between defeat for Moscow and the subsequent stalemate that they decided to disengage from.

The Holy Warrior: Osama Bin Laden and His Jihadi Journey in the Soviet-Afghan War

The Holy Warrior: Osama Bin Laden and His Jihadi Journey in the Soviet-Afghan War PDF Author: Reagan Fancher
Publisher: Vernon Press
ISBN: 1648897800
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
Fought between 1979 and 1989, the Soviet-Afghan War provided vital combat experience for Osama bin Laden and his senior lieutenants in al-Qaeda, allowing them to hone their newly acquired skills in guerrilla warfare to later support Islamist insurgencies worldwide. Yet the ruthless al-Qaeda chief’s success depended on the Soviet leadership’s reluctant prolonging of its military occupation out of fear of leaving Afghanistan in hostile hands. As relative latecomers to the ferocious Afghan frontlines, the inexperienced Arab fighters benefitted militarily from the combat training unwittingly provided by their Soviet foes. After skillfully obtaining this command and battle experience by working within the wartime atmosphere, bin Laden channeled al-Qaeda’s efforts in a global jihadi campaign targeting a second superpower and its allies. While allegations of U.S. support for the Arab jihadis have contributed to a popular image of bin Laden and al-Qaeda as C.I.A. creations, the historical facts appear to demonstrate that the combat opportunities provided by the Soviet occupation forces played a far larger role in transforming them into seasoned guerrilla fighters. In this second edition, Reagan Fancher updates and expands his monograph in an Afterword elaborating on the contemporary U.S.-U.K. perceptions of bin Laden's wartime actions and their results as he applied his battle-honed guerrilla tactics, judo skills, and recruitment capabilities in tactically helping Yemen's anti-communist Salafi guerrillas to emerge victoriously in their country's 1994 Civil War before concluding with an assessment of the founding al-Qaeda leader's impact on history. It offers an opportunity for today's decision-makers to learn from history and avoid creating new generations of Osama bin Ladens.

The Soviet–Afghan War

The Soviet–Afghan War PDF Author: Gregory Fremont-Barnes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472861817
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
A fully illustrated overview of the USSR's bloody conflict in Afghanistan and its long legacy. The Soviet invasion of its neighbour Afghanistan in December 1979 sparked a nine-year conflict until Soviet forces withdrew in 1988–89, dooming the communist Afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the Afghan popular resistance backed by the USA and other powers. Gregory Fremont-Barnes reveals how the Soviet invasion had enormous implications on the global stage; it prompted the US Senate to refuse to ratify the hard-won SALT II arms-limitation treaty, and the USA and 64 other countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. For Afghanistan, the invasion served to prolong the interminable civil war that pitted central government against the regions and faction against faction. Updated and revised for the new edition, with full-colour maps and new images throughout, this succinct account explains the origins, events and consequences of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, shedding new light on the more recent history – and prospects – of that troubled country.

Afghan Napoleon

Afghan Napoleon PDF Author: Sandy Gall
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1913368238
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
The first biography in a decade of Afghan resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the forces of resistance were disparate. Many groups were caught up in fighting each other and competing for Western arms. The exception were those commanded by Ahmad Shah Massoud, the military strategist and political operator who solidified the resistance and undermined the Russian occupation, leading resistance members to a series of defensive victories. Sandy Gall followed Massoud during Soviet incursions and reported on the war in Afghanistan, and he draws on this first-hand experience in his biography of this charismatic guerrilla commander. Afghan Napoleon includes excerpts from the surviving volumes of Massoud’s prolific diaries—many translated into English for the first time—which detail crucial moments in his personal life and during his time in the resistance. Born into a liberalizing Afghanistan in the 1960s, Massoud ardently opposed communism, and he rose to prominence by coordinating the defense of the Panjsher Valley against Soviet offensives. Despite being under-equipped and outnumbered, he orchestrated a series of victories over the Russians. Massoud’s assassination in 2001, just two days before the attack on the Twin Towers, is believed to have been ordered by Osama bin Laden. Despite the ultimate frustration of Massoud’s attempts to build political consensus, he is recognized today as a national hero.

The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War

The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War PDF Author: Ali Ahmad Jalali
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahadeen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War is a 1998 non-fiction book written by former Afghan Army Colonel Ali Ahmad Jalali and American military scholar Lester W. Grau. The book was commissioned by the United States Marine Corps Studies and Analysis Division to complement Grau's previous book, "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." Jalali and Grau had planned travel into Afghanistan to interview Mujahideen fighters in late 1996, but were forced to remain in Pakistan when a Taliban offensive campaign started to seize major portions of Afghanistan, eventually capturing Kabul on September 27. Jalali interviewed approximately 40 Mujahideen during the month which the authors spent in Pakistan and an associate, Major Nasrullah Safi, conducted interviews inside Afghanistan for two months to collect additional data.

Armies in Southern Russia 1918–19

Armies in Southern Russia 1918–19 PDF Author: Phoebus Athanassiou
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472844785
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
An important aspect of the Russian Civil War were the several Allied expeditions immediately following World War I in support of the disunited Russian 'White' armies resisting the Bolshevik Revolution. Although they ended in failure, these ventures were long resented, and were the origin of the 70-year-long Soviet suspicion of the Western Allies. British and US expeditionary forces operated in North Russia and Siberia in support of General Yudenich and Admiral Kolchak respectively, and a French and Greek expeditionary force (plus Romanian and Polish elements) operated in Crimea and south-western Ukraine, in support of General Denikin. The situation was further complicated by the presence of strong Imperial German elements still under arms, and by war between various factions in the Ukraine. This Southern theatre of the Allied interventions is far less well known than that of the British and Americans in the North and East. Featuring rare photos and new colour plates, this fascinating new book describes this major Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Dr Phoebus Athanassiou writes a compelling account of how the French and Greeks alongside White Russians were greatly outnumbered by pro-Bolshevik forces and were relentlessly pushed back by the Ukrainian forces. In just over 4 months, on 28 April 1919, the last of their forces were evacuated by Allied navies from Sevastopol in Crimea.

Indian Defence Review Jan-June 1986 (Vol 1.1)

Indian Defence Review Jan-June 1986 (Vol 1.1) PDF Author: Lt Gen EA Vas
Publisher: Lancer Publishers
ISBN: 8170623340
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
The Indian Defence Review is a fledging effort towards keeping the public Informed on defence and related issues. As a start we intend to publish the Review biannually, in January and July each year. We have been able to enlist the support of contributors of the highest prestige and qualifications as evident from the list of contents in this, the inaugural issue, we expect to maintain this high quality and further broaden the scope of coverage. We would welcome articles on defence and related subjects from defence planners and scientists for subsequent issues of the Review. Letters to the Editor with regard to the contents of the Review and the views expressed therein will be carried beginning with the July 1986 issue. In this Volume India’s Nuclear Options in the 1990s and its Effect on India’s Armed Forces — Lt Gen EA Vas Higher Defence Organisation in India — Lt Gen SK Sinha Introduction of National Service in India for Defence and Development — Lt Gen Dr ML Chibber Towards Deterrence: Conventional Air Power in the 1990s — Air Cmde Jasjit Singh The Rapid Deployment Force for India: A new concept in First Strike Strategy — Lt Gen Mathew Thomas A Doctrine for Mechanised Warfare in the Indian Subcontinent — Lancer The Poor Bloody Infantry — Footslogger The Airborne Assault Operations at Tangail—Indo-Pak Conflict 1971 — Lt Gen Mathew Thomas The War in Afghanistan: A view on current Soviet Weapons and Equipment — Observer Decision making process in the Defence Services — Air Cmde RJM Upot An Officer and a Gentleman: Changing Pattern of Military Leadership Values — Brig NB Grant Artillery as a Combat Support Arm in the Battlefield milieu of the 1990s — Maj Gurmeet Kanwal Insurgency and Counter Insurgency: The Anatomy of an Insurgent Movement and Countermeasures — Pegasus Intelligence—Problems and Possible Solutions — Lt Gen PN Kathpalia Rationalisation of Security Forces in India —Jaswant Singh